


We Move Lightly

by dean_n_pie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, based on a post, gabriel never died, jo and ellen didn't either
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 00:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3431969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dean_n_pie/pseuds/dean_n_pie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the tumblr prompt: "IMAGINE UR OTP GETTING IN A FIGHT AND ONE OF THEM YELLING THAT THEY LOVE THE OTHER ONE AND THEN IT GETS REALLY QUIET"</p><p>Things go bad after a fight and Gabriel says something he didn't mean to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Move Lightly

**Author's Note:**

> let this fic be a testament to my inability to write coherently at 3am :D
> 
> (also sometimes i look at my notes and im like wow im just so informal everyone else's are so nice and grammatically correct and im over here like "HERE IS THING LOVE MY THING"

Sam threw open the door to their motel room, storming inside. He heard footsteps follow him in and turned, face to face with a furious archangel.

"I’m not done with this conversation, Sam," Gabriel was saying, eyes dark in anger. Sam rolled his eyes and turned away again, throwing his few possessions into a bag. "What are you doing?"

"I’m getting another motel room. I’m sick of this," Sam said, brushing past Gabriel on his way to the door. He heard a snap and the door slammed shut, locking. It was fruitless, Sam knew it, but he tried the door handle anyway. It didn’t so much as jiggle, and he hit his palm against the cheap wood.

"Dammit, Sam, I said we were talking about this," Gabriel yelled, striding over to him. Sam refused to take a step back; even though he towered over the archangel, he knew that if it got physical Gabriel wouldn’t have any trouble beating him.

"And I said we weren’t," Sam hissed, kicking at the door. "Now let me out!"

"No!" Gabriel folded his arms. "You almost died today," - and his voice quieted a half-decibel, turning shaky and worried before turning on a dime and becoming angry again - "and you can barely stand up straight!"

That’s the anger, Sam thought, trying to ignore the slight dizziness he felt. Sure, he’d gotten knocked around during the hunt, but Gabriel himself had healed him up. There wasn’t anything to be worried about and Sam just wanted to leave.

"I’m fine."

"You sure as hell aren’t," Gabriel growled, fists clenching at his sides. "Or did you miss the whole ‘almost-dying’ bit? Hmm?" Sam didn’t respond, staring stonily at the floor at his feet. He hadn’t missed it, of course he hadn’t, but he was so damn tired of being babied by Gabriel all the damn time and being consistently treated more fragile than the others.

Which… wasn’t all that bad of a point. So he raised it.

"Why don’t you go yell at Dean or Cas for risking their lives? They got just as hurt as me!" Sam yelled, throwing his hand to the side. Gabriel flushed, mouth pulling into a thin line.

"Because," he said tightly, "Cas is currently ripping Dean a new one for jumping in front of him when the demon attacked. They can handle themselves." He sighed, sitting down on the bed. "Why am I even bothering? First hint of trouble and you boys are out there sacrificing yourselves. Has anyone told you that you don’t have to save the world all the damn time?"

Sam took a deep breath before he started shouting again, rubbing at his temples. “If we don’t,” he gritted out, “then who will? It’s not like there are an abundance of hunters.”

"Bobby," Gabriel said, zero humor in his eyes. They were emotionless depths, and Sam could almost see the archangel power dripping off of him. "Rufus. Jo and Ellen. Hell, even Garth. You have a hunter’s network, might as well use it."

"I don’t want anyone else hurt."

"Oh, but you’re so expendable?" Gabriel scoffed. "Please. At least tell me you know that it wouldn’t be any help if you died."

Sam sighed again, pressing his thumb down on the bridge of his nose. Hard. “Of course I know that, but why should other, less experienced hunters be called in? Dean and me, we aren’t gonna die that easy, and I don’t want the others put in the line of fire. So could you maybe stop babysitting me? I can do this alone.”

Gabriel didn’t answer for a while, just sat staring at Sam with his emotionless eyes. Slowly, it bled away into a bone-deep exhaustion. He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. They sat in silence for acre more moments until Gabriel laughed, hollow and broken.

"Goddamit," he said, looking back up at Sam. "You know all these archangel powers I have? Awesome. Can do basically anything. Except bring back a soul." He stared at Sam meaningfully, as though he was trying to make Sam get something. "If you die, that’s it. No take-backsies, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. Capische?"

Sam just stared back, a little confused by Gabriel’s attitude. Just a minute ago they were screaming at each other, now Gabriel looked like a broken shell of the man he had just been.

"It’s not your job to watch over me," Sam reminded him, cautiously sitting in a chair opposite Gabriel. He tried not to grimace when Gabriel smirked at that.

"Oh trust me, Sam. I know." He turned away and stood up fluidly, pacing the length of the room again. "I was never meant to be here. I died at the stupid, unironically funny hotel, and got brought back by something. I shouldn’t even be around. But no, when I came back, I had to choose to watch over you two." He laughed, almost maniacally. "The two most self-sacrificial human beings on the planet! Hell, maybe even the whole universe! But since neither you nor anyone else seems to care about your sorry asses being alive, I get to do it. So don’t try and tell me that it isn’t my job. Trust me, I know."

There was something savage in the depths of his eyes, something that made Sam want to look away. It was almost otherworldly, and he inaudibly gasped. But then the anger came back and he held onto it with all he had - anger was good, anger centered you and let you focus on the one thing you needed to.

"So why?" he asked, folding his arms. "You’ve done nothing but bitch about saving us since you got back. Why not quit?"

"Hilarious," Gabriel dead panned. "I can’t. Dad help me, I can’t."

"Why?"

"Does it fucking matter?" Gabriel asked, but there was something new in his eyes - a kind of hope. He was hiding something bigger under the bleakness, trying to keep it down, but now that Sam saw it he pursued it.

"Why?" he asked relentlessly, refusing to break eye contact with Gabriel.

"Because all you two idiots do it go in guns blazing and hope it works! And it never does.”

"But why do you care?" Sam kept pushing, physically as well as mentally. He moved closer to Gabriel and saw that the smaller man was slightly shaking. "Why, Gabriel?"

"Because I don’t want you to fucking die!" Gabriel almost yelled, taking a step back from Sam. It was strange,  
this transfer of power, but Sam used it to his advantage.

"But why?" he asked again, louder, and Gabriel exploded.

"Because I damn well love you, you stupid fuck!”

Silence fell after the proclamation. Sam felt the world stop for a half second before righting. He couldn’t process the words fast enough, and vaguely registered Gabriel shrinking in on himself as he realized what he said. Gabriel was paler than before, red flush from the fight completely gone. He didn’t move, frozen to the spot, hands hanging uselessly at his sides.

Gabriel was the first to break the silence. “Shit,” he muttered, closing his eyes. “I didn’t - I mean,” he stuttered out, and Sam doesn’t remember the last time he had seen Gabriel this uncomposed. The message finally got through, clicking into place.

"You love me?" he asked. The spooked expression on Gabriel’s face was answer enough; some preternatural instinct had Sam reaching out and holding Gabriel’s wrist. He didn’t want Gabriel to snap himself away.

"That’s why you get so pissed when I throw myself into danger?" Sam knew he was barely audible, but Gabriel still heard him.

"No. It’s because I secretly want to kill you myself," Gabriel snapped, refusing to meet Sam’s gaze. He stared resolutely downwards, and Sam could feel the muscles in his arm tensing. "Let go of me, Sam."

The born-deep weariness was back again - Sam could hear it in his voice. Gone was the furious archangel, whose words could shatter the Earth and make it whole again. Gabriel was standing there, slowly pulling into himself and leaving the empty vessel behind.

"No," Sam said, as everything fell into place. "Cause I’m kinda in love with you too."

He tugged Gabriel by the wrist, pulling him to himself in a kiss. Their lips met, and Sam let go, only to move his hands up to cradle Gabriel’s face. After a long moment, Sam broke away, breathing heavily. Gabriel’s eyes were dark again, but not from anger. He pushed Sam into a wall and pulled him down to his level, deepening the kiss. Sam moaned into Gabriel’s mouth, one hand tangling in his hair while the other ran slowly down his back.

A second later and Sam switched them around, Gabriel growling when Sam lifted him up and slammed him into the wall. Gabriel wrapped his legs around Sam’s waist and pushed back into him, giving as good as he got.

Their breath hung heavy between them when Sam broke the kiss for air. Gabriel didn’t waste any time and immediately began biting at the curve of Sam’s neck, scraping his teeth against his Adam’s apple and pressing his heels into the muscles of Sam’s back.

Sam pulled away some more, trying to get a modicum of control over himself. “Wait,” he gasped out, resting his palm against the wall. Gabriel slipped from his grip and landed on his feet, gazing up at Sam with badly hidden emotion in his eyes.

"Just - I need a second," he said, leaning his forehead against Gabriel’s while he tried to control his breathing. "It - I-"

"Its okay," Gabriel said, stroking at his hair. "It’s okay, Sam."

"So," Sam said, inhaling the uniquely sweet scent of Gabriel. "You really do love me?" Gabriel just nodded, no quips or jokes. "Okay."

"And you love me," Gabriel said, not phrasing it like a question. "Glad we got that settled. Can we get back to the kissing, now?" he asked, and Sam couldn’t help but laugh.

"Gimme a second."

Gabriel was silent for a moment more. “But really, Sam, if you run into another trap without concern for your own life I’m locking you inside and not letting you out.”

Sam thought about it for a second. Then he shrugged. “Might not be too terrible.” He caught Gabriel’s jaw drop and smirked.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Gabriel said, pulling Sam back to him in a kiss. Sam didn’t complain, murmuring against Gabriel’s lips.

"Depends. Is it working?" Gabriel let out a laugh and kept on kissing him, pressing as close to Sam as he could.

Sam followed suit, wrapping his arms around Gabriel and smiling into their kisses.


End file.
